Rhipsalis cereuscula
by Jem Doe
Summary: Isabelle moves in to a new building. Alec goes to visit her. (a continuation of sorts of Hatiora gaertneri)


Alec _honestly_ didn't know why Isabelle had moved. She had claimed that "rent was cheaper with a roommate", but he knew that their parents weren't with any financial issues that would require them to leave their somewhat lavish lifestyle. So, why had Isabelle moved, when they both knew the girl hated having roommates?

And why, exactly, had she moved in to the building in front of her old one? Was the rent cheaper in the other side of the street? It made no sense at all.

So this was how he found himself in front of her new apartment, with a plastic bag in his hand with a new cactus for Izzy (because he _knew_ his sister. She had probably killed the last one.), and wondering why she was playing music so loudly. Maybe she was having a party? Shouldn't she had let him know before hand? Shit, he hated parties. Maybe if he turned around and pretended this wasn't happening he could get away with it. He could always give her the cactus another day.

Still, he took a deep breath. Maybe his sister dearest was just listening to music loudly. He could live with that. Alec took a second deep breath and knocked.

The music came to a halt, and some guy opened the door, and looked to Alec with distrustful eyes. He wasn't Isabelle. Maybe a friend of her roommate?

"Hello, is…", was all he was able to say, before the guy interrupted him, panic full blown in his face.

"Shit, guys the cops were called, run!", he screamed to the inside of the apartment, and Alec was thrown to the side as a flurry of people invaded the hallway. He could only look in absolute panic as more people than physically possible runned, and soon enough, he was left alone with an asian man in black booty shorts (Alec was _not_ staring) and a well fitted white shirt.

"You've ruined Chairman Meow's birthday party.", he said, blinking slowly in Alec's direction after the dust settled. Shit, those eyelashes were long. Were they fake? Alec hoped they weren't.

Still, what the fuck. _Chairman Meow_?

"What?", was all he was able to sputter.

"You've ruined Chairman Meow's birthday party, pretty boy.", he said again, petting something tiny in his arms. The cat (it couldn't be that tiny and fat. No way.) simply looked at Alec, who felt suddenly that maybe his patched sweater wasn't appropriate. "I am, of course, assuming you're not a cop. You aren't, right?"

"I am not.", Alec answered, avoiding to look to the man's legs. "Uh, sorry. I'm looking for Isabelle? Isabelle Lightwood?"

The man seemed offended. Was he Isabelle's mortal enemy or something?

"I can't believe you crashed Chairman Meow's birthday party looking for the plant couple.", he sighed, and let the cat go to pass a hand through his perfectly messy hair. The cat went back inside, and Alec knew he was staring. He knew he was staring, yet he couldn't bring himself to stop.

Wait a minute. Plant _couple_?

"Excuse me?"

The man's eyes (impossibly gold, almost cat-like) turned to him, and something snapped.

"Oooh, shit. Shit.", he said, sighing again. "Uh, yeah, now that I look at you you kind of look like Isabelle, right? Sorry. Your sister is gay. Or bi, who knows."

The man shrugged, and Alec blinked. At least Isabelle's pan ass could have told him she was dating someone. Her roommate, it seemed.

(so it wasn't just a plain roommate? Alec _knew_ something was fishy.)

"But, as I was saying…", he seemed to like hearing himself, Alec noted, also noticing he didn't mind hearing. "You crashed Chairman Meow's birthday party. Poor thing will be traumatized by boys with pretty blue eyes that look like young cops."

"Yes, you've said that. Three times, in fact. Where's Isabelle and her girlfriend?", Alec asked, starting to get a bit annoyed that he was blushing under this man's gaze. Couldn't he control himself for one second and blush in the privacy of his home?

The man (with nice eyelashes and hair and probably a nice ass) just stared at him.

"Out. Didn't they let you know?", he answered, and Alec frowned. They said they'd be out on thursday because of her roommate's friend band concert, but friday was good for him to go. It was a friday, so they should be home. Right?

Unless…

"It's not friday.", the realization hit him like a brick, and he couldn't help but close his eyes. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn't point it out until now.

At least it explained why his parents were still at home. They normally were out on weekends, each to their own vacation home. He didn't question it anymore, really.

"Bingo. I'm Magnus, by they way. What's your name, pretty boy? Otherwise, that's what I'm going to call you in my head."

Was he being flirted on? Shit, he had been out of the dating scene for so long he didn't know anymore.

(more like _he never entered it_.)

"I'm Alexander, but most call me Alec. Nice to meet you.", he answered, in the end. Magnus just smiled coyly.

"Nice to meet you, Alexander. Now come in, we gotta end this birthday party for Chairman Meow. You don't wanna leave him traumatized, do you?"

Alec couldn't say no, not with the way Magnus rolled his name in his tongue, so that was how Isabelle and her redhead girlfriend found Alec and Magnus making out in the balcony at 3 AM, almost dangling to certain death after Alec had tried to put the cactus he had bought for Izzy on her balcony - this time, a nice mistletoe cactus Magnus had said was "very festive and appropriate", which might have been irony. Alec wasn't sure. What he was sure, although, is that Magnus was a very good kisser.

"Oh my God.", was what brought him down to Earth again, and he opened his eyes to find an upside down Isabelle looking at him like a cat who had eaten a canary. He let go of Magnus, who seemed sort of frustrated. "I can't _believe_ this."

"I can explain!", he started, and would have sputtered something if Isabelle hadn't started to laugh loudly, her girlfriend smiling at her side.

"I can't believe it. We go out for _one_ night and there you are, seducing our hardworking neighbor.", she sniffed, a smile still in her lips. She put her arms around the redhead, and turned to her. "You see this, Clary? My own flesh and blood, going around and doing things like these."

Clary (?) just smiled, and Magnus sniffed, entering the joke Isabelle was setting.

"This is true, miss Lightwood. Your dear brother just came into my house, crashed my party pretending to be a cop, and made poor Chairman Meow traumatized. I will be holding him responsible.", he said, before turning to Alec. "I'm afraid a date is payment enough. One you don't pretend to be a cop, mind you."

"I…"

Alec had to admit he liked the guy.

(well, he _wouldn't_ have made out with him if he didn't like Magnus, right?)

"Yeah, sure.", Izzy finished for him. "Just be gentle, alright? He's a poor, loveless boy."

"Isabelle!", he hissed, turning to glare at her, before turning back to face Magnus. "Yes, sure, a date sounds nice enough to, ahem, repay whatever mental damages my barging into your cat's birthday party may have caused."

Magnus smiled.

"Very well. Tomorrow night is good for you, Alexander?", Magnus asked, and Alec simply nodded, hoping the blush that covered his face wasn't as visible as he felt it was. He _was_ meeting his sister and roommate/girlfriend today, after all, so he was free tomorrow anyway. "Great! I'll text you details. Now go and have fun with your dear sister."

Alec simply nodded again and Magnus accompanied him to the door, where Isabelle had ran to greet him. She exchanged pleasantries with Magnus, thanking him for "babysitting her brother", and then ushered him inside, her girlfriend (Clary?) quietly pretending to not hear anything, but Alec could _see_ her making an effort to not laugh.

He was met with a smile ofa cat that had eaten the canary.

"So, I go out one night, and you already kiss the neighbors?", she giggled, putting her hands on her hips, and Alec made a point of rolling his eyes.

"I leave you alone for one week and you get a girlfriend?", he retorted. It was Isabelle's turn to roll her eyes.

"Touché. Now come on, grumpyhead, meet my girlfriend. Then, I'm helping you choose clothes for your date tomorrow. There's no way I'm letting you wear a sweater.", she rattled off, and Alec coul only sigh as an answer.


End file.
